Datasheet

Discovering the Power of Blend If 27
To follow along, create a displacement map as we did in the previous tutorial.
Generate a text layer, rasterize it, and displace it with the map. Now you are at the point I
am with this project.
With the text layer selected, click the FX icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. When
the styles menu expands, select Blending Options from the top of the menu. The dialog box
in Figure 1.61 appears.
Figure 1.61 Default Layer Style
dialog box with no style settings yet
in place
You need not worry about drop shadows or bevels for this technique. On the lower
half of the current window is an area called Advanced Blending. This is where all of the cool
Blend If things take place. For instance, I’ve set Knockout to Shallow. Blend If defaults to
gray, so that drop-down can be left alone for now; it is the highlights and shadows I’m con-
cerned with.
At the very bottom is a slider area called Underlying Layer. This means is that if the
Wall layer is black, white, or a varying shade of gray, moving the sliders will render portions
of the type visible, semitransparent, or invisible. Each slider (right and left) can be split in
two by holding down the Option/Alt key and click-sliding it either left or right. This allows
you to control the intensity and separation of the blend on your text as it attempts to match
the luminosity of the wall. With the sliders in the positions shown in Figure 1.62, the type
takes on the faded and aged characteristics shown in Figure 1.63.
Figure 1.62 Blend If works on a
series of sliders that can be divided
to give you more control over the
blend.
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